The 59th Minute

ARTISTS

Gary Hill, Mary Lucier & Michael Snow

Creative Time and Panasonic are pleased to present Fast Forward, a new series of artists' videos in conjunction with the Whitney Museum of American Art's exhibition Into the Light: The Projected Image in American Art 1964-1977. The selected contemporary videos by Gary Hill, Mary Lucier, and Michael Snow will air on the Astrovision from December 2, 2001-January 27, 2002. The selection of work, by artists who are featured in Into the Light, complements the exhibition's exploration of the rich, experimental spirit of the projected image in this historic period in art. Each video has a unique relation to time, evoking the nuances of experiencing time, addressing how we perceive time and what can happen in one minute. This theme has a particular relevance to Times Square as a place that witnesses the passages of time, from streaming headlines to marking the arrival of each New Year.

Gary Hill's Liminal Object #7 points to the immeasurability of cycles of time and our ability to understand the relationships between the things around us. The relationship between the objects in the video - a gyroscope and an apple - invokes associations with gravity (Newton's apple), New York City, the solar system, and time itself; any interpretation is valid. These objects are liminal, in that they push viewers to find the threshold of abstract thought, encouraging us to make unusual connections.

Mary Lucier's Monarch features an old monarch butterfly, itself often a symbol for the fleeting and cyclical nature of life, landing on a human hand. The weak creature struggles to stand, hold on, but then simply falls away. The circular frame of the image adds a privacy that focuses the viewer on the contact between the person and the butterfly, and serves as a reminder of the fleeting nature of our contact with the world.

Michael Snow's Fridge, made especially for this series, is a clever response to the requirements of making a work within one minute. Simple and colorful, the video uses the alphabet refrigerator magnets which most of us recognize from our childhood. Each letter slowly appears until they all form the words "one minute." The video is a wry reminder of how long or short one minute can feel. In one minute, we can remember that every moment counts and that each minute offers a new opportunity.

Each of the three, one-minute videos in Fast Forward will air the last minute of every hour, in rotation, from 6am to 1am, with the exception of two daily preemptions for NBC's Today Show and Nightly News.

Whitney Museum of American Art

Into the Light: The Projected Image in American Art 1964-1977, on view through January 6, 2002, is the first major museum show to explore the rich history of the projected image in art. Into the Light features seminal works in projected media including holography, slides and film installation. In addition to Gary Hill, Mary Lucier, and Michael Snow, artists in the exhibition include Vito Acconci, Joan Jonas, Bruce Nauman, and Dennis Oppenheim. The Whitney Museum of American Art is a museum devoted to the art and artists of this country. From its founding in 1930 to today, the Whitney has helped generations of American artists make their way into the public eye. For more information on Into the Light go to www.whitney.org.

Michael Snow, Fridge
Gary Hill, Liminal Object #7
Mary Lucier, Monarch
December 2, 2001 - January 27, 2002